Driving around city, you’ve probably seen work by local artist Cbabi Bayoc, who wants his paintings to bring hope and color to the streets of St. Louis. Cbabi Bayoc is a self-created name that is an acronym for “Creative Black Artist Battling Ignorance” and “Blesses African Youth Of Creativity.” His work is proudly shown around […]

Congratulations to all those nominated! HEC couldn’t carry out its mission to “strengthen the education, art, and cultural communities in the metropolitan area” without you and all our supporters! These nominations are for you, St. Louis! Arts/Entertainment- Program Feature Segment 15 Year-Old Short Film Director Kara Vaninger Brock Seals: New Artist, Old Soul Suzanne Vanderhoef, […]

Although there there are so many events and happenings taking place in June, we wanted to spotlight a few we are really excited about! To view all events, go to our events page, here. Edo Rosenblith at COCA | June 8 – Aug. 25 Israeli born, St. Louis-based artist Edo Rosenblith will guide COCA visitors […]

Happy World Book Day! Here are a few books we’re reading right now that we highly recommend! We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy Ta-Nehisi Coates “We were eight years in power” was the lament of Reconstruction-era black politicians as the American experiment in multiracial democracy ended with the return of white supremacist […]

There’s no doubt St. Louis is a literary city — with local bookshops such as Left Bank Books hosting events almost every day, to the St. Louis County Library hosting tons of educational initiatives for the area, there are literary opportunities everywhere you turn. Check out some of the exciting authors coming to town March […]

Did you know 750 million adults around the world – two-thirds of them women – lack basic reading and writing skills? And reading aloud to children every day puts them almost a year ahead of children who do not receive daily read alouds? Every year, on World Read Aloud Day (February 1), people all […]

We live in exhausting times—why not escape for a bit with a book? Here are our top 10 staff picks, guaranteed to hit the spot by providing some much-needed escapism. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders The long-awaited first novel from the author of Tenth of December: a moving and original father-son story featuring none […]

Celebrate literature and literary arts at the first annual BookFest St. Louis, proudly presented by the Central West End, Left Bank Books and the Left Bank Books Foundation. BookFest St. Louis will host a diverse mix of locally and internationally renowned writers, with appearances by award-winning authors including Sherman Alexie, Ann Leckie, George Hodgman, Charlie […]

By Angie Weidinger, Host So, you think you know Joe Buck? The Fox Sports announcer who has called 19 World Series and five Super Bowls, was a St. Louis Cardinals baseball broadcaster before that, and the son of beloved Cardinals announcer Jack Buck? Well, Joe Buck would disagree with you. “People think they know me […]

The Story of a Brief Marriage by Anuk Arudpragasam When we discuss the difficulties of marriage, we take for granted that many American relationships at least have the benefit of a solid foundation of basic needs: shelter, food and, to an extent, safety. The Story of a Brief Marriage strips a relationship of those comforts, […]

Maryville Talks Books features lectures by noted authors. Admission is free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated. Seating is first come, first served. Maryville Talks Books is sponsored by HEC-TV, Left Bank Books and St. Louis Public Radio. Watch past Maryville Talks Books, here. Emma Donoghue The Wonder Thursday, Oct. 11—7 p.m. […]

In her highly anticipated new novel, Judy Blume, the New York Times # 1 best-selling author of Summer Sisters and of young adult classics such as, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, creates a richly textured and moving story of three generations of families, friends and strangers, whose lives are profoundly changed by unexpected […]

If you know Sue Grafton, then you also know Kinsey Millhone. The sharp-tongued, no frills private eye is back in “W is for Wasted,” the latest letter in Grafton’s best-selling “alphabet” mystery series. Find out why Grafton calls Kinsey her “alter ego” and why she’ll never expose her to the evils of Hollywood or menopause.

View a live performance of “The Very Last Green Thing,” an opera written for young people and performed by young people. Then find out what questions of the students had for the director, set designer and cast members.

Khaled Hosseini is known worldwide for his blockbuster, emotionally gripping novels, The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns and And the Mountains Echoed. In this interview, get to know a different side of this bestselling author – his humorous side. Plus, learn about his childhood and writing inspirations.

Michael Pollan, best-selling author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and one of the stars of the documentary “Food, Inc.”, explains how clever marketing, social changes and even the rise of “foodie culture” are driving us out of the kitchen. His new book, “Cooked,” encourages us to find our way back.

Like it or not, we’re all in sales. From trying to convince your boss to give you a raise to talking your kids into cleaning their rooms, you use sales tactics everyday. This one on one with bestselling author Daniel Pink will give you tips on how to be more effective in everyday sales.

What was America’s most perilous year? Find out why bestselling author David Von Drehle says it was 1862, and how President Abraham Lincoln successfully lead the nation out of danger and into the history books..

Dan Gutman’s novel Jackie and Me continues to be read and loved by thousands each year. In this program students had the opportunity to participate in a national videoconference book club discussion of issues and themes.

Many remember with extreme clarity the day the World Trade Center was attacked and the day Osama bin Laden was killed. But, the events that connect those two days are less clear for most Americans. Mark Bowden, the award winning author of Black Hawk Down, walks us through the development of new strategies and technology developed to track down this extreme terrorist in his latest book, The Finish: The Killing of Osama bin Laden. In this candid one on one conversation, Bowden reveals the research that went into his latest release, the risky aspects of the Abottabad mission and the secret behind his literary success.

Be part of an interactive writer’s workshop with Ridley Pearson, award winning author of the Kingdom Keepers series, Peter and the Starcatchers, and many other books for young readers. 1pm This program was partially funded by the Missouri Arts Council.

Be part of an interactive writer’s workshop with Ridley Pearson, award winning author of the Kingdom Keepers series, Peter and the Starcatchers, and many other books for young readers. 10 am This program was partially funded by the Missouri Arts Council.

After penning her 17th book, award-winning author Chitra Divakaruni talks with HEC-TV about what inspired her most recently released novel One Amazing Thing. The book’s characters will intrigue the reader with well-developed, thoughtful stories that are revealed as they struggle to survive following a deadly earthquake. Divakaruni explores cultural differences and human behavior in an uncontrollable situation. One Amazing Thing is an enjoyable, fast read as her characters’ stories have a broad range of emotions that will have readers crying on one page and laughing on another. In this conversation, she reveals some secrets of the book as well as her One Amazing Thing.

Author, photographer, and humanitarian Eric Greitens grew up in a quiet suburb of St. Louis, but he’s seen his share of the world’s suffering. After graduating from Parkway North, Greitens headed off to Duke University and a life of public service. He taught English in China, and worked with refugees in places like Rwanda, Croatia and Bosnia, where he came to the realization that victims of war need both compassion and protection. After receiving graduate degrees from Oxford University, he became a Navy SEAL and fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2007, he returned to St. Louis and founded The Mission Continues, a national nonprofit that helps post-9/11 veterans continue to serve their communities. In this One on One Conversation, Greitens talks about his St. Louis childhood and the experiences that led him to write three books, including his new release for young adult readers, The Warrior’s Heart: Becoming a Man of Compassion and Courage. Based on Greiten’s best-selling memoir, The Heart and the Fist, The Warriors Heart is an inspiring “call to action” for young people who want to make a difference in the world.

As we approach Veteran’s Day 2012, hear first hand from those who have served our country. Learn what it’s like to be in the military, fight in combat, return from war, and to have served your nation in its armed forces.

Author and St. Louis native Bill Donius tells us about a method that can help you get those occasional "Aha moments" to happen much more frequently…a method that's as easy as switching your pen from one hand to the other. He says it's all about learning how to use your whole brain, including your right brain – the side of your brain that's often ignored as left brain logic takes over answering most of our daily questions. Donius says using your whole brain can change your perspectives, actions, habits and moods in revolutionary ways. It was successful for hundreds of volunteers who tried it out before he wrote his book, Thought Revolution: How to Unlock Your Inner Genius; volunteers that included executives from Express Scripts, Enterprise Rent-a-Car and Clear Channel Broadcasting. Business leaders are now taking his findings into the workplace to try to unlock innovative ideas from the right hemisphere of employees' minds.

He's known for giving an insider's in-depth look at sports; Cardinals baseball strategy with Three Nights in August (when he told the story of the 2003 three game series between the Cardinals and Cubs from Tony LaRussa's perspective) and the intensity of high school football in Friday Night Lights. But, recently Buzz Bissinger turned the pen on himself and wrote Father's Day – a raw look at raising premature twins, one of which has brain damage. In this conversation, Bissinger not only talks about a poignant moment at Six Flags St. Louis featured in that new book, he discusses Cardinal nation (made up of what he calls the "Best fans in baseball"), recent changes in the Cardinals clubhouse (and where he thinks Albert Pujols should've went) and the unusual evolution of the care of premature babies. It's an intriguing talk that has multiple connections to Missouri, especially St. Louis.

When you cover sports for more than fifty years, you see a lot of changes. It's that experience that's given Emmy award and Peabody award winning Frank Deford a perspective on sports that can be duplicated by none other. This one-one-one conversation with the Sports Illustrated writer, NPR commentator and HBO Real Sports with Bryant Gumble contributor is informational, entertaining and intriguing with stories about sports greats Arthur Ashe and Wilt Chamberlain as well as insight into the future of journalism and interestingly enough, the recent tattoo craze.